<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>In the Deep Waters by Tumbleweed_run</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24280783">In the Deep Waters</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tumbleweed_run/pseuds/Tumbleweed_run'>Tumbleweed_run</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Torchwood</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>M/M, canon compliant up to To the Last Man</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-03 01:15:14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>12,004</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24280783</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tumbleweed_run/pseuds/Tumbleweed_run</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Jack's been back at Torchwood long enough things with Ianto have been going so well. Then Ianto mysteriously falls ill and it's up to Jack, and the rest of Torchwood, to wade through the waters of Ianto's history to find the truth.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Jack Harkness/Ianto Jones</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>106</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter One</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hello all!<br/>This is my first fic in a while, even longer since I've written one for Torchwood. But good news! This fic is complete right out of the gate.<br/>Fair warning I began this one in October of 2016 so it's nearly 4 years old. If the ton changes part way through the story, that's why.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Well, there's nothing for it," Owen said as he peered over the edge of the cement, "one of us is gunna have to go in there."</p>
<p>"No." Was all Ianto said following Owen's gaze.</p>
<p>They'd been just about to leave for the evening when Toshiko's computers had begun beeping. Smaller than a bread box, Tosh promised, calling after them from her desk. It had seemed easy enough because the device had been emitting a low energy signature, which was easy for them to track. Perhaps that should have been a warning that things were definitely not going to go well. </p>
<p>They'd found it less than five minutes after pulling up to the fitness club. Laying in the center of the deepest part of the pool was a brass colored sphere that seemed to be about the size of a cricket ball.</p>
<p>The problem being, of course, that neither Ianto or Owen really wanted to dive into the pool and retrieve the sphere. Neither of them was wearing anything that lent itself to swimming. Even though it was warm beyond comfort tucked inside the building, it was near freezing outside.</p>
<p>Owen glanced up at Ianto and held a fist out in front of him. "Best two out of three?"</p>
<p>"How old are you again?" Ianto asked with an eye roll.</p>
<p>"Oh, so you're offering to get it?" Owen shot back.</p>
<p>Ianto glanced down at the sphere and grimaced before raising a fist of his own. He wasn't going to willingly get in the pool, and it was probably the fairest way to figure it out. It didn't matter in the end Owen won on the last throw, leaving him looking entirely too smug for Ianto's liking, but he'd won.</p>
<p>Ianto took the time to strip down to just his shorts while Owen smirked, still on the other side of the pool from him. He made sure to glare extra hard at the other man as he deftly removed his suit and carefully folded it.</p>
<p>"Have you found it?" Tosh asked through their earpieces, she sounded a bit worried, which was fair since neither of them had actually bothered to check in since they'd gotten there.</p>
<p>"Yep, just waiting for teaboy to finish stripping down to get it," Owen answered cheerily.</p>
<p>There was a paused before Tosh tentatively asked, "I'm sorry, what?"</p>
<p>Ianto sighed as he placed his clothes carefully on some plastic chair back from the water, "It's at the bottom of the pool, Tosh."</p>
<p>"Woah, and I'm missing this?" Jack suddenly cut it. He'd been out at Flat Holm, but the others didn't know this. Of course, he would show back up at this moment, because Jack had some sort of internal radar that alerted him if Ianto so much as took off his suit coat.</p>
<p>Ianto pulled his comm from his ear, effectively cutting off his side of the conversation, but Owen answered for him. "Down to his shorts." The little rat sounded entirely too happy.</p>
<p>Without a second thought, Ianto dove in.</p>
<p>The water was pleasantly warm. He'd always loved swimming, and it had been his only form of exercise after joining Torchwood in London. He surfaced after a second and grabbed the containment box perched on the edge before diving down again. It was more than a little difficult to get a ball into a box underwater without actually touching it. He had to surface four more times before he finally managed to push it with the lid into the box.</p>
<p>Placing the box back on the side of the pool, this time full of pool water and one brass sphere, Ianto pulled himself out. He shivered when his body hit the air. After the heat of the water, the room seemed significantly colder.</p>
<p>"I'm going to go get dressed," Ianto called over to Owen, who had made himself at home and was lounging in one of the guard chairs.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter Two</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The alarm went off at quarter of six, just as it did any morning. Ianto groaned and swatted at the clock gracelessly as he sat up. His head was pounding with all the pressure of a sinus headache and the acoustics of the world's worst hangover.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I swear…" He began to grumble but winced from the sound of his own voice. Mentally he continued his tirade against Owen and his impromptu swim and their chances that they were the direct cause of his headache.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Neither the warm shower or the steam helped any, and he managed to drop his shampoo bottle twice. Both times the loud crash was nearly enough to make Ianto consider just crawling back into bed. But Torchwood waited for no one, so he kept telling himself that after some medicine and coffee, he'd feel better. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He fought against the steam that had overtaken his mirror, trying to decide if his blurry vision was due to it or his head. He frowned when he caught sight of himself in the mirror, something was wrong. Leaning forward, he inspected himself and couldn't place his finger on what was off. As he shaved, it dawned on him that the necklace his gran had given him as a child was no longer hanging around his neck.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Slamming the razor down onto the sink with more force than strictly necessary, causing the head to crack and fly off to parts unknown, he started in on brushing his teeth. His anger didn't help any as he noticed a bit of pink when he spat into the sink. Sighing, he finally started dressing for the day.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>One missing cufflink, a parking ticket (bloody street sweeper), and the ever-increasing headache from hell Ianto managed to finally get on his way to the hub, only about thirty minutes late.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The blare of the klaxon very nearly brought him to his knees as he entered. It became clear the handful of pills he'd taken before leaving was doing nothing to touch his headache. Making a mental note hit Owen up for something stronger, Ianto climbed the stairs to the tiny kitchen to begin his workday. As he did, he sent a little prayer to the universe that it would be better than his morning.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He was halfway through making the first batch of coffee when arms snaked around his waist. Ianto couldn't resist dropping his head back onto Jack's shoulder. Maybe it was his imagination, but just being held by Jack made his head hurt a little less.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"You disappeared last night," Jack murmured in his ear, tone low and pleasant.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was true, he'd showered and left through the entrance near the carpark. He'd meant to text Jack and invite him over once he'd tidied the flat. But once he'd gotten home, he had been so tired and the bed so tempting that all thoughts of doing anything other than sleeping fled his mind.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Sorry, was exhausted last night." He apologized weakly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack hummed in response before pressing a kiss to Ianto's cheek. "You still look it."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"That your way of saying I look like shit, sir?" Ianto attempted to tease. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Reluctantly he tried to pull away to finish making the coffee; the other's would be in soon.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack chuckled, and instead of letting Ianto go, he followed his movement, chin resting on his shoulder. "No, just not up to your usual standards." A hand strayed forward to pluck at the cufflink-less cuffs. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ianto tried to shrug, but it was awkward and jostled Jack's chin, though the other man remained where he was. "I'm fine, just feeling a bit under the weather."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>At this, Jack pulled away and spun Ianto around so he could look at him. He frowned a moment as he studied his face.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Jack," Ianto said patiently as he pulled Jack's hands from his shoulders, "I'm fine just a bit of a headache. It's not so bad right now. Honestly, all those pills I took this morning must finally be kicking in."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Instead of being reassured, Jack's frown only deepened, "All those pills?" He parroted.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ianto rolled his eyes slightly, more to reassure Jack that his sass was all present and accounted for than out of any actual annoyance, "I'm fine, Jack."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack nodded and leaned down, pressing his lips to Ianto's. For his part, Ianto put up a token amount of resistance to snogging in the kitchenette while just anyone could walk in and see them, but in the end, he melted into the kiss.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was Jack who eventually broke the kiss. "I think your coffee is done," he whispered. Pressing one last kiss to Ianto's forehead, he turned and walked away.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The rest of the early morning was quiet. Ianto managed most of his duties before the alarm sounded to admit Toshiko. He greeted her with a warm mug, and she smiled gratefully at him. His headache was mostly dulled. He finally felt well enough to disappear down into the archives, no longer worried about passing out in some hidden room where they'd never be able to find him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sorting artifacts and historic records were soothing to Ianto. When he was in a mood not to think he focused on the records, it was simple enough and didn't require much thinking past what was the date and where were those of a similar time. Still, it was tedious work, and he usually preferred the artifacts, broken or not.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Once he'd known what to look for in the aftermath of Bilis Manger and Abbadon, Ianto hadn't been too surprised to find Jack's signature on artifacts found as far back as 1901. Jack had used </span>
  <em>
    <span>C.J. Harkness</span>
  </em>
  <span> for about five years between 1901 and 1906. After that, Jack's distinct script appeared just as regularly, but he used other agent's names for cover.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ianto often spent hours reading through ancient field reports written in Jack's hand. There was really no reason for him to know about the retrieval of a Kandorian light fixture that had occurred in the sixties. Still, no one had ever really questioned how he spent his time in the archives. Jack had never quite grasped the difference between personal record and official, and his anecdotes were easier to recognize than his handwriting. It made Ianto feel somehow closer to his Captain when he read the hastily jotted paragraphs written decades before his birth.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Today Ianto was lingering in the early seventies. He was reading a field report, written out by Jack, of course, of how Jack and an L. Moretti had unsuccessfully attempted to keep alive a Hath that had fallen out of the rift. The distress Jack felt during their repeated attempts was painfully evident on the page. By the time the creature had finally died, there was only resignation in Jack's tone.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Ianto."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was Gwen startling him out of his most recent readings. She was calling him on the comms, of course, Ianto long suspected she was afraid of the lower levels.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Yes, Gwen?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"It's nearly lunch, and it's mostly quiet, so we were thinking of heading out for lunch. Want to join us?" She said before adding almost as an afterthought, "Jack's coming."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ianto chuckled to himself, knowing what was being suggested. There was no reason to turn down the invitation if there was no way for he and Jack to sneak in some alone time while the others lunched.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Of course, Gwen, that sounds lovely. I'll be up shortly."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He finished reading the report before filing it in its new home, a newer and properly labeled filing cabinet.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>By the time he reached the main hub, where the others were gathered around Gwen's desk already in their jackets, the headache had begun returning. He wasn't surprised, it'd been nearly six hours since he'd taken anything.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Owen, do you have any Panadol?" Ianto asked as he reached the group, he knew full well the doctor had a healthy supply.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Yeah, need some?" Owen asked, even though he was already moving towards the autopsy bay.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ianto nodded but immediately regretted his actions. "Headache that won't let go."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see a frown starting on Jack's face again. Before Jack could decide to say anything, Owen returned and slapped two tablets into Ianto's hand.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"If it doesn't go by this afternoon, I want to take a look," Owen warned.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It wasn't an unusual reaction; all ailments were treated as alien until proven otherwise, especially in someone who had dealt closely with an unknown artifact or alien recently.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ianto grunted in response as he pocketed the pills, he'd take them at lunch. "I'm ready," he announced to the others to get them moving.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It worked, and the girls took the lead, heading up towards the tourist office, Owen followed commenting on their conversation, but Jack lingered back with Ianto. "Do you want to lie down in my office? I can bring you back something."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ianto gave him a small smile but started after the others. "I'm fine."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>By the time they reached the tourist office's doors, Ianto was beginning to suspect he wasn't actually fine. As they had piled into the lift, his headache had reached the level he'd been at this morning, and he unconsciously swayed back against Jack for support. Then by the time they reached the top, he'd torn open the pill packet and had swallowed them dry in an effort to find relief faster.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When they reached the bustling plass, the world was fuzzy, and the only sound Ianto could hear was the buzzing in his head. He was ready to admit defeat.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Jack," he called out weakly, waving his arm trying to catch hold of Jack's arm.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He was vaguely aware of Jack's arms grabbing him, but it was too late the world was tilting violently, and then everything went black.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter Three</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>If Jack hadn't been watching Ianto so closely, worried about his rapidly deteriorating appearance, he would have never heard the younger man call his name. He'd barely gotten a hold of his arm when Ianto's legs seemed to give out, and he went crumbling to the ground. Then it was only because Jack managed to grab for Ianto's coat with his other hand that he'd kept Ianto from crashing down, uncontrolled, and causing himself even more damage.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Owen! Owen!" Jack shouted as he lowered Ianto down onto the ground as gently as he could.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ianto had begun to tremble violently, and by the time Owen got to them, the tremors began growing into spasms.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Bloody hell, he's seizing," Owen growled.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Can we get him down there?" Jack asked, trying to restrain Ianto's violent movements. He could just see the girls standing a few feet from them, obviously unsure of what to do.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Owen shook his head. "Get him on his side and focus on keeping his head still, he can handle a few bruises everywhere else."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With that he took off at a run, Jack didn't look up to see where he went. Instead, he yanked off his coat and bundled it under Ianto's head, all the while trying to turn him onto his side. "Gwen, help." He growled forcefully, but it got the former PC moving.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She was there in an instant behind Ianto's back, keeping him on his side. The seizure wasn't subsiding, and Jack was trying desperately to remember everything he knew about the treatment of seizures. Before he could recall anything useful, Owen was back.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>In one smooth movement, the medic slid to his knees, uncapped a syringe, and slammed it into Ianto's thigh pressing down the plunger.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Fuck, come on teaboy." Owen swore, when after a moment, the seizure hadn't lessened. Pulling another syringe out, he repeated the stabbing motion.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>This time it worked almost immediately. The tremors lessened, but Jack refused to move his hands from where they'd been holding Ianto's face on either side until he stopped convulsing altogether. It was only now that he realized they'd drawn a crowd. Owen realized it as well.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Get him downstairs," He hissed at Jack before popping up. "Alright show's over, I'm a doctor, and I've got this under control," Owen growled at the crowd.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack couldn't help but place his fingers at Ianto's neck, his heart was racing even though he was completely unconscious.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack had managed to get Ianto down on his own with Gwen running ahead, opening doors for them. As he laid him out on the exam table, he heard the hydraulics of the invisible lift as it began to descend. Less than a minute later, Owen was by his side.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Strip him," Owen commanded, and for once, Jack didn't even think to argue. Right now, it was obvious Owen was in control of the situation.</span>
</p>
<p><span>Jack had undressed Ianto hundreds of times in dozens of situations, but this time he felt sick to his stomach. His normally active lover was lying limp on the table. Trying not to focus on the feeling Jack began at the top. When he reached Ianto's trousers and belt Owen was already getting blood samples and trying to stick an IV into the unconscious man</span>.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter Four</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>It was nearly four hours before Ianto began to regain consciousness. Still, mere seconds after his eyes began flicking under the lids, another seizure hit just as violently as the first. Jack was barely able to get to the table in time to keep Ianto from flipping over the side.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack had been sitting on the stairs, silently watching Ianto. He'd been relegated to the side after stepping into Owen's way one too many times as he'd begun running tests. There were now several wires leading away from Ianto to a few different machines. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Of the answers they'd gotten back, everything seemed normal, so Owen had backed off, telling Jack to call for him when Ianto woke. He didn't have to. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Owen was back quickly enough that Jack wondered if he'd been watching Ianto's vital signs as his desk. He didn't overthink it further. He was once again holding Ianto's head, trying to keep him from hurting himself while Owen grabbed the needles. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When the tremors finally stopped, Jack looked up to find Tosh and Gwen standing at the railing, looking pale and worried. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Tosh, I need you to run every test we have on that sphere," Jack told her. He was trying to sound authoritative and sure of himself, but even he noticed that he wasn't quite pulling it off. He was too worried.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>No one left the hub. Owen was either at his desk or circling Ianto, Tosh was busy running the ball through every test and scanner she could think of. Gwen had taken up the 'care and feeding' post bringing them drinks and snacks. Jack refused every offer and just sat on the cold stone steps watching Ianto. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was in the early hours of the morning that Tosh finally came to him, shoulders slumped. Everything was coming back normal, and the energy signature was wearing off as if it'd just been a contact tracing. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Owen, who was frowning at his computer, turned around as Tosh finished speaking. "I've got nothing either," he admitted sourly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"All tests are coming back normal. He </span>
  <em>
    <span>should</span>
  </em>
  <span> be fine", Owen added, glaring at Ianto. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Can we wake him up?" Jack asked, not knowing what else to do. Owen had been sedating Ianto via the IV since his second seizure.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Owen pinched the bridge of his nose and thought about it. "Yeah, we can try."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ianto's eyes were open for approximately four seconds when the third seizure hit.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"No more, not until we know what the hell is going on," Owen said as he leaned over Ianto and checked the old IV site that had been ripped out.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack nodded, but he didn't bother to move from his seat on the step. He could see Ianto's unobstructed face from this exact spot.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Did you hear me, Jack?" Owen snapped.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack sighed. "I heard you, Owen, but what is it?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"No idea, but I think we need to consider that this might not be alien," Owen said pensively, frowning at the computer again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"He's not leaving the hub," Jack growled, knowing what Owen was going to suggest. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Owen turned quickly, "there's nothing here, Jack, and I'm not a bloody neurologist, I can't do everything," he growled back.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They glared at each other for a while before Owen turned away. "There's nothing in his medical records to even suggest where to look."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tosh, who had been observing from above with a sort of seasick look, made a small noise and ran off. Owen made an aborted move to go after her, and Jack just stayed where he was. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I might have a suggestion," Tosh said quietly as she returned nearly three hours later.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack had assumed she'd finally gone somewhere to lay down, Gwen was curled up on the sofa asleep, and even Owen was leaning back in his chair with his eyes closed. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Owen's eyes slid open slowly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I thought you were sleeping," was how Jack answered.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"No," Tosh admitted as she sat herself next to Jack and opened the file. "On September 12th, 1988, five-year-old Ianto Jones was admitted to Royal Gwent Hospital after collapsing on the playground during the first day of school. The incident was described as a seizure, and it ceased after administering an anti-seizure medication in the ambulance."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Owen frowned, sitting up. "There's no record of this in his medical file." As if to prove his point, he started flipping through the chart he'd resorted to printing out.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"No," Tosh said slowly, "that's because the one you have has been carefully edited."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack turned and looked at her sharply. "What?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I found this record because I went looking for it. Actually, I had to call around to six different GPs before I found the right one," Tosh admitted.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She continued quickly, not giving them a chance to question her. "I remembered earlier Ianto had mentioned once that when he'd started working for Torchwood One it had been the first time he'd seen a doctor in about a decade. This file exists because he forgot about it."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"What?" Jack repeated incredulously.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tosh chewed her bottom lip for a second. "Ianto altered his records sometime between Canary Wharf and Cardiff. He changed just about everything so you'd hire him," she answered quietly after a moment. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack dropped his head into his hands, suddenly exhausted.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"What was it then?" Owen asked, gesturing to Tosh's file with his.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Oh," Tosh jumped a bit and looked down at the pages. "They diagnosed it as Epilepsy after he had three more seizures during their attempts to take him off sedation. No direct cause was identified, but after trying out several anti-seizure medications, they settled on diazepam as it seemed to stop the seizures and allowed him to be conscious."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Owen frowned deeply. "That's an intense medication for a five-year-old."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tosh nodded in agreement and held out the file of Owen to take. "He was on it for a full year before they weaned him off."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"No seizures?" Owen asked even though he'd begun flipping through the pages.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tosh shook her head. "Nope, he never relapsed again."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack glanced over at Ianto, having finally processed everything. "Until now."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tosh nodded, but it was Owen who spoke up. "Anything else he's conveniently forgotten to tell us about?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She shook her head. "Nothing, really."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack noticed Tosh was still trying to protect Ianto and made a mental note to bring it up to both of them when this was all over.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Owen sighed loudly and began tapping his fingers against the desk. "What causes a five-year-old to have seizures that land him in the hospital for… bloody hell a month?" Tosh nodded. "And then resurfaces twenty years later out of the blue?"</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter Five</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>"We could ask his mother?" Gwen suggested.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Owen hadn't been able to find anything truly helpful from the now mostly complete medical file. The original seizure disorder hadn't been properly identified. Since it had seemed to go away, it appeared no one had pushed. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"She's dead," Tosh answered from her seat next to Jack. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Since Jack wasn't leaving the stairs, they'd all silently agreed to hold their usual brainstorming meeting where he was rather than try to convince him to move. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Of?" Owen asked, head perking up a little. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Suicide, when he was little," Tosh answered, shifting uncomfortably. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack let out a frustrated noise. He was beginning to find out just how little he knew about Ianto. It was really </span>
  <em>
    <span>really </span>
  </em>
  <span>grating on his nerves especially since he couldn't even talk to the younger man about it. Tosh, on the other hand, seemed to know quite a lot.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"How do you know all this?" he asked finally. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Some of it he told me, we talked a lot while you were… away. Parts of it, I found poking around," Tosh admitted. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack sighed. There was no one to blame but himself. Since the beginning, he'd known that Ianto was a naturally secretive person, even before he realized just how many secrets he was keeping. They'd been getting to a good place before he'd left with the Doctor. Ianto would occasionally slip details into conversation that Jack doubted anyone else knew. Sometimes he wondered if that was how it felt for the others with him, scrabbling and documenting any new information. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But then Jack had left and ruined any progress they'd made. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"But he's got other family, yeah? His dad? People who were around when he was a boy?" Gwen forged ahead with her line of thinking, trying not to let the other's derail her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tosh nodded, "his sister would have been a teenager when it happened, she might remember."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was Gwen threatening to travel out to visit Rhiannon Davies by herself that finally got Jack to leave the step that had become his post. There was no way he was letting her handle Ianto's family by herself. Gwen might have been better with people than most of them but she still slipped up. Jack wasn't going to risk her saying the wrong thing to Ianto's family.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rhiannon Davies looked just enough like Ianto that Jack knew they had the right person the moment she opened the door. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I don't know anything," was all she said after taking one look at them before promptly trying to shut the door. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Wait," Gwen shouted, startling both herself and the other woman, "we're here about your brother." She got it out in a breath before Rhiannon regained herself enough to shut the door. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>This captured Rhiannon's attention, and she pulled the door open a bit. "What about him?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>My name is Gwen, and this is Jack," Gwen gestured behind her to where Jack was standing, "we work with Ianto…" she trailed off unsure of where Ianto was saying he worked. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"You work with Ianto at the tourism board?" Rhiannon's face screwed up, clearly trying to reconcile their appearances with whatever Ianto had told her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack stepped forward, glad he'd come. "That's not quite what we do," he said in a low, conspiratorial tone. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rhiannon's eyebrow went up, and Jack might have laughed in any other situation, fully seeing the connection between Ianto and this woman. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"But our job isn't really why we're here," He continued edging Gwen behind him, "we need to ask you a few questions about Ianto." </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"About Ianto," Rhiannon repeated. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She considered them once more, but curiosity got the better of her in the end, and she stepped back, "alright then, come in."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack flashed a grin and stepped in, he could hear Gwen following him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rhiannon led them further into the house, Jack smiled to himself at the presence of children littering the home. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"You have children?" Gwen couldn't help but ask. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rhiannon snorted, "I see he tells you just the same as he tells me." She turned and sat at a table, gesturing for them to do the same.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"He's a bit secretive, yeah," Gwen said. The two women grinned at each other, both no doubt thinking about all the times they both felt Ianto was 'secretive' for no reason. "But that's actually why we're here. See, we need to ask about something that happened when Ianto was a boy."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack had met few people who could build walls as fast as Rhiannon did in that moment. Instantly guarded, sitting straight up in the chair, watching them warily. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Why not just ask him?" Came her answer after a moment, even her voice was tighter than it was before. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack and Gwen exchanged a look.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"We can't," Jack told her truthfully. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"What do you mean?" Rhiannon looked like she was one second away from exploding on them. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Yesterday Ianto got sick," Gwen began cautiously. After a quick look at Jack for approval, she continued, "he had a seizure, and the doctor has had to sedate him."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rhiannon paled considerably, but instead of saying anything, she stood and grabbed the kettle off her counter. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack and Gwen exchanged a quick glance. "We found his medical records from when he was a boy. Apparently, this happened before?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rhiannon nodded as she continued through the routine of putting on the kettle. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Do you know what it was?" Gwen pushed. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"No. I was fifteen when he got sick that time, I didn't want much to do with a little brother. I just remembered mum cried a lot." Rhiannon said before finally returning to her seat, she absently chewed on the edge of her nail. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"You don't remember anything?" Jack's heart sank, another lead was gone, and Ianto was no better for it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rhiannon shrugged. "There were a lot of… problems with mum and dad around that time," she told them. Her eyes were glazed and she was looking into the middle of the table, not really seeing anything. "I spent all of my time at my mates' houses, and Ianto practically lived at gran's house until it was time for school. I didn't spend much time around Ianto until he was older.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"What about your da…" Gwen didn't even get to finish the word before Rhiannon was shaking her head violently. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"He wouldn't know anything, and even if he did, Ianto would rather die than involve dad," Rhiannon said firmly. "But gran's still alive, out in Sully, I know Ianto goes to see her from time to time."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Gwen's entire face lit up, "do you think it'd be alright if we went out to visit her?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rhiannon nodded before standing and grabbing a piece of paper. She scribbled on it and handed it to Gwen. Jack could just make out an address written out on it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Where is Ianto?" Rhiannon asked after Gwen had pocketed the paper. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"He's in Cardiff," Gwen answered evasively.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rhiannon folded arms across her chest and scowled. "Yeah, but where? Which hospital? If he's having fits again, surely he's in a hospital, right?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Yes," Jack began and quickly held up his hand. "But due to the nature of our job, we can't allow visitors until we're sure whatever is causing this isn't because of something he dealt with."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rhiannon opened and shut her mouth a few times, looking for all the world like a very confused fish. "Bloody hell, he's not with the tourism board, is he?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Both Jack and Gwen shook their heads. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"What the hell has he been up to?" Rhiannon pushed. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack stood, "look, all I can say is that it's classified, and Ianto is under orders not to talk about it. So whatever it is he's been saying he's doing, isn't because he doesn't want to tell you."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He smiled, mostly to himself. Ianto would either be delighted with the cloak and dagger awe Jack had just instilled into his older sister, or he'd be livid. Jack was going to assume he would be thrilled, at least until he woke up and told him otherwise. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They thanked Rhiannon for her time and walked out to the SUV. As they did, they passed a man with two children on the sidewalk. The smaller child, a girl with long dark hair, looked up, and Jack instantly knew which house they were headed towards. The girl looked more like her uncle than her own mother. He stopped for a moment and watched them pass, wondering if he'd ever meet them for real one day. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Jack?" Gwen called.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter Six</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>While they were gone, Owen had moved Ianto into one of the rarely used medical rooms they had stashed in the base.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Once, a very long time ago, the autopsy bay had only been used for actual autopsies. Over time as the team grew smaller and smaller, it became more of a one-stop medical shop. There were recovery rooms and a proper surgery theater that had been closed up and forgotten. They hadn't had use of them in nearly a decade.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Owen had fixed up the one closest to the heart of the hub and somehow had managed to move Ianto to it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was easier to see Ianto in the old school army bed than the harsh metal autopsy table. There were just as many machines hooked up to him as there had been before, but at least now, he was in a medical gown rather than only covered with a sheet. He was just as unconscious, though, no reaction when Jack grasped his hand and spoke softly to him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There was no change in his condition, and the rest of the team were all exhausted, so Jack sent them home. Owen refused, of course, instead opting to bunk down on the couch, asleep before either of the girls left. Gwen lingered a bit after Tosh left, fussing about Ianto's sheets before Jack shooed her away.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He stayed by Ianto's side for the rest of the evening and through the night. There was a steady drip of sedative keeping him unconscious, but every few hours Owen drifted in, looked at a few things, adjusted wires, and then drifted back out.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tosh found him just after eight in the morning. She looked like she'd slept, but the worry was still tight around her eyes. "Gwen mentioned his grandmother, I looked up the address and found her."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She sat down in the empty chair at the foot of the bed and waited until Jack had finished stretching.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Glynnis Perry, 76, lives in Sully. Retired shop clerk. Husband, Edward Perry, died in 1955. Only ever had one child, daughter Glenda, deceased 1992." She read to him from a piece of paper she held.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack only hummed in response. Nothing Tosh was telling him really helped any, but he knew it made her feel better to have gathered the information. He stood, stretching once more, sore from having been sitting in the same position for nearly twelve hours.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I want to go out and ask her if she remembers anything, according to Ianto's sister, she pretty much raised him." He leaned down and pressed a kiss to Ianto's brow.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tosh followed him out of the room until he found Owen, cussing at the coffee maker.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Tell Gwen to bring in coffee," Jack ordered. However, an irrational part of him said Ianto was going to come charging through the door any minute to tell them all off for touching his machine. "Tosh and I are going out to visit Ianto's grandmother."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>For her part, Tosh seemed surprised at this news, undoubtedly betting he would have taken Gwen again. She didn't argue about it, though.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was a short trip, elongated only by the necessary stop for a cup of coffee on the way out of the city. But despite the fact they were barely fifteen minutes outside the city center, it was like a totally different world.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The stone cottage they pulled up to Jack swore was pulled from a postcard depicting the quaint country life. Hedges and wildflowers were blocking most of their view, but even Tosh seemed enraptured by the atmosphere.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They were barely inside the gate when they were greeted by a fat tabby cat brushing against their legs.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Oh, don't mind Henry," a woman called to them from somewhere behind a veritable wall of flowers.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tosh pushed past the cat and towards where they'd heard the woman, but before she could get too far, Glynnis appeared. She looked younger than her stated 76 years, nimbly climbing over a pile of gardening tools between them. She was just about Tosh's height, even with the small hunch to her shoulders.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Glynnis?" Tosh called out, "Glynnis Perry?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Glynnis stopped and nodded, "that's me. What can I do for you?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I'm Toshiko Sato, this is Jack Harkness," Tosh introduced them, tensing slightly when the cat weaved through her legs again. "We're here about your grandson Ianto."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A shade passed over Glynnis' face, and she quickly took stock of Jack and Tosh. Very much the way her granddaughter had done the day before, yet more subtle.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"You know Ianto, dear?" She asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tosh nodded, "yes, we work with him."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Glynnis smiled, still reserved. "Well come on in, I've just got tea on."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack placed a hand on Tosh's back, and more or less, pushed her into the house after the old woman. She led them to a sitting room and told them to sit before disappearing. Tosh sat.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack saw photos and immediately forgot his manners. On the mantel were several photos. Much to his surprise, a large number of them couldn't have been anyone but Ianto. The most recent was Ianto looking just as he did now, kneeling in denims covered in dirt somewhere back in the wildflowers grinning indulgently at the camera. The rest of the photos were older. Ianto as a teen, a young boy, and finally as a baby in a christening gown held by a sad-looking woman and an equally somber man.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"He was such a lovely baby, don't you think?" Glynnis asked as she reappeared with a tray.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack smiled and took a step back from the mantle.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Of course he's an even lovelier young man," she set down the tray on the coffee table.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tosh shifted to reach forward, but Glynnis quickly shushed away her hands.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack's eyes finally fell on the far end of the mantle, an old photo from the early fifties judging by the clothing. A young man looking strikingly like Ianto, and therefore nearly every relative of his Jack had seen until this morning.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Glynnis was in a nearby photo with the young man, both in wedding attire.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Ianto's grandfather?" He asked, picking up the first photo.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Glynnis nodded even as she was handing Tosh a cup of tea. "My sweet Edward, he died only a few years later." Her face fell as she told them. "Ianto looks so much like him now."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack took this moment to retreat back to the sofa, where he was meant to be. Glynnis handed him a cup, and Jack accepted it without complaints.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It took a few more moments until Glynnis had prepared her cup and sat in a chair near them. "What can I do for you?" She repeated her earlier question.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"We need to ask you about an incident from Ianto's childhood," Tosh tread in carefully as Jack tasted his tea.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was perfect. It seemed the knack of perfectly preparing a stranger's drink had been passed down from Glynnis to her grandson.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Glynnis righted her cardigan, pulling it across her. "I'm old, dear, and while that wasn't so long ago, I'm afraid I might not remember anything from then."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She was lying, and Jack knew it, protecting Ianto or perhaps someone else. But Jack had no doubt she remembered every detail of everything that had ever happened to her. He wondered what it was that made everyone clam up about Ianto's childhood.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"This would have stuck out to you, I'm sure," Jack said, leaning forward, "back when Ianto started school, he had seizures, fits, do you remember?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A light dawned in Glynnis' eyes, and she nodded. "Oh my sweet boy, he was only little, but he got better."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Well, it's happened again," Tosh told her gently, "the other day he collapsed at work."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"How is he now?" Glynnis asked, setting down her cup as if ready to race out the door to wherever Ianto was.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"He's still sedated. Every time doctors try and bring him out, he has another seizure," Jack told her, gently touching her hand. He was both trying to keep her in place and comfort her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her other hand went to her mouth, and she stared out the window for some time.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"You remember it?" Tosh asked. When the other woman nodded, she continued, "then do you remember what it was?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"A gift not meant for him."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack almost missed her word, barely a breath across her lips, definitely not something she was saying to them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"What gift, Glynnis? What do you mean?" He asked as gently as he could.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Glynnis stood, pulling her hand from Jack's. "When they admitted him to the hospital, did they take his things?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was an odd question, but Jack nodded.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"There's a necklace he always wears, just a bit of metal on some cord. He needs that." She was talking to them again, but her voice was far away.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack paused, he knew exactly what she was talking about. Jack had asked him why he'd always worn it, even in the shower. Ianto had shrugged, saying something about a family heirloom before changing the subject. Jack had liked it, made Ianto seem his age somehow, and hadn't brought it up again worried Ianto would remove it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Except he hadn't seen it since the seizures started, and he was the one who had stripped Ianto after the first seizure. He was sure he hadn't seen it then.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tosh was looking at Jack, confused. "Why would a necklace help?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Glynnis finally turned and gave her a small smile. "That's a hard thing to explain, dear."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Try," Jack urged.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Glynnis sighed heavily, "you'll think me a crazy old woman if I do."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tosh shook her head emphatically. "I promise you we won't, we deal with millions of crazy things every day. I'm sure this will be tame by comparison."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The older woman crossed back to her seat, stopping once at the mantle to grab the photo of Ianto's grandfather.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"He's special dear," she let out a laugh, "not just because he's my grandson, but he's really truly special."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Neither Jack nor Tosh dared to interrupt her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"He got it from his grandfather, even though he never met him, but Edward was the same way," she began again. "I met Edward in Cardiff, I was helping my father with his shop. I was young but he was so very wonderful, had his posh London accent, I think I fell in love at first sight. Eventually he told me he returned the feeling. That necklace was just something he always wore. I asked him about it but he just told me he needed it, especially in the city. I didn't understand him then."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Glynnis was gently rubbing the picture she held. "Just before he asked me to marry him, he warned me that we might not have children because he wasn't from here."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"What do you mean?" Jack asked during a pause in the story. "Why would that matter?" Every hair on his neck was standing on end. This was leading somewhere familiar, but he was too apprehensive about guessing where.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Glynnis laughed. "Exactly what I said, I told him plenty of people from London had children with people from Wales. But he told me I was wrong, told me that he wasn't from London, or Wales."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She leaned forward in her seat, eyes finally snapping from the middle ground where they'd been for most of the story. She looked between Tosh and Jack. "He told me he was an alien."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tosh made an audible noise, but Jack remained completely still.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I thought he was mad, or making up a story to get out of marrying me," she admitted. "But then he drove me out here and took the necklace off. It was like all at once he was in my mind and I could feel him there, all over it. He was nervous and terrified having told me his secret. Then he told me feelings I had that I wasn't even aware I was having."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack recognized the description of an empath immediately. Very very close to telepathy but emotions instead of words.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"How… h-" Tosh stumbled through her words. Despite working with aliens every day, she was struggling to digest what she'd been told. "How would an alien get to Cardiff?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Glynnis shrugged. "Said he wasn't sure, but that he'd been out having a walk when there was a light, and he was suddenly in Cardiff."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The rift then.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"The necklace?" Jack asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Glynnis hummed a moment. "He said it was like a bubble, used by his people when they dealt with other races who couldn't control their minds in the same way."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"A damper." Tosh chirped in understanding.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The older woman nodded. "Yes. Naturally, I told him I didn't care and demanded he continue with his proposal. But we were both very surprised when I fell pregnant with Glenda a year later."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"But she was alright? Ianto's mother," Tosh asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Alright… physically, yes. But Glenda was always a strange child, off with the fairies my mother would say," Jack cringed, fists balling against his pants, "but she didn't seem very much like her father, we thought it was just a trait she couldn't have. That our brains weren't made for that sort of thing."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"When she had Ianto, I never even gave thought to it. Her father had been dead so long he seemed like a dream to me, and besides Glenda and Rhiannon had been normal enough." Glynnis told them. "But around that time Glenda began getting very ill in her mind, the doctors called it schizophrenia. She was in and out of hospitals, and of course, couldn't care for a babe, so Ianto came to live here with me."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack realized it was very likely Glenda hadn't been as 'okay' as Glynnis had insisted. Likely the schizophrenia, if it really was that, was caused by the incompatible mating between a human and whatever type of alien Edward was.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"But she wanted him to go to school like his sister, and she'd been well for a few months, I couldn't very well argue with her."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Except he collapsed at school?" Tosh filled in.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Glynnis nodded. "Yes, I didn't put it together at first. But then we were getting desperate, and Glenda's mind was slipping as he got weaker, I was willing to try anything."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack took her hand once again, stopping her from continuing to worry the photo she held. "The damper worked."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She nodded. "He was right as rain two days later, I realized he must have more of Edward in him than any of us thought."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Does Ianto know?" The question fell out of Jack's mouth against his will. Of course, he wanted to know if he'd just learned another secret the younger man was keeping.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Glynnis laughed sharply. "About his grandfather being an alien? No. I told his mother, but she never believed me. Then when she got sick, and she told the doctors they just…"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Used it against her?" Tosh finished, and Glynnis nodded, "so he never took the necklace off?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Glynnis shrugged. "Not that I know of. When he was a boy we just told him it helped his head feel better. Once he got older, it was just routine, always had it on him."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I think it might have been lost during work," Jack confessed after a moment.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Glynnis looked twice as worried as she had before. "I don't have another, that was his grandfather's I wouldn't even know where to begin to find one."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"We can make one," Tosh told her confidently. "We work with all sorts of amazing things, I can find a way to help him."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack nodded. He had a rough knowledge of psychic dampers and their general components. There were enough items back at the hub that they could throw one together. It probably wouldn't be as easy as Tosh was suggesting, but he knew they'd be able to get it done. He'd drop everything indefinitely just to have Ianto smile at him again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They talked for a few more minutes, but there wasn't much more information Glynnis could give them. Edward had never been particularly forthcoming about where (or when) he'd been from and had died so early that she'd never really had the time to wait for the information to come out naturally. She'd been holding onto this secret for so long after watching it, in part, help destroy her daughter.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Jack," she took his hand as they were making their way out the door, "I want to see him. I want to be the one to tell him."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack froze, it felt wrong telling her no when he'd breezed through it with Rhiannon. Maybe because she already knew about aliens. Or perhaps because she seemed to genuinely love every part of Ianto and knew it was her secret, which would forever affect the way he lived.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Not now," he told her instead, "I'll give you a call when we get the damper working. You can come sit with him when we wake him up."</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter Seven</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>To say Owen was absolutely floored by the news was an understatement. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Ianto, </span>
  <em>
    <span>our Ianto</span>
  </em>
  <span>, is a bloody alien, and he didn't even know it?" He crowed at one point, waving his arms around in disbelief. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Technically quarter alien," Tosh corrected from her desk where she was hunched over dozens of different devices. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Once they knew what they were looking at, it was easy enough to see the abnormal brain waves Ianto was emitting. Owen hadn't realized that they were more unusual than what would typically show on a brain after several grand mal seizures. But once they saw them, both he and Jack kicked themselves repeatedly for not noticing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Just as Jack had feared, it wasn't easy building a new psychic damper for Ianto. They had all the parts, yes, but making different bits of alien tech compatible was extremely difficult. At one point, Tosh was nursing several burnt fingers. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack helped, using every scrap of knowledge he had. He would also be the test dummy one they felt they had a working prototype. He was, after all, the only Torchwood member with any real psychic ability. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ianto remained the same. Never conscious, ever still. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Owen checked him regularly, but Jack took over anything that didn't require a doctor's knowledge. Every night Ianto got a bed bath, then Jack would dress him in his own sleepwear pilfered from his flat, and then he'd read to Ianto. Sometimes it was books, some from Jack's collections and some from Ianto's, other times it was newspapers or reports. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After their new nighttime routine, Jack would either slide down onto the cot he'd put right next to the bed or go sit at the desk he'd dragged in from another part of the hub and work on the damper. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Glynnis called Jack once after it had been nearly two weeks since they'd seen each other. She was worried. Jack assured her they were making great progress and Ianto was doing okay under the constant medical care. She made him promise once again, before letting him off the phone, that he'd let her come be with Ianto when it was time to wake him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Four weeks after Ianto's collapse, there was a necklace lying on the table before Jack. In theory, it was complete. They still needed to test it. The pendant itself was double the size of Ianto's old one, but it was the best they could do given the circumstances. It looked clunky attached to the metal chain, but Jack figured it wasn't necessarily aesthetics they were going for. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack could feel his heart pounding in his chest as he ascended on the invisible lift towards the surface. Partially because this would be the first time Jack had lowered his own mental shields in decades, but mostly because if this didn't work, they were back at square one. It would be even more weeks before they could even dream of waking Ianto. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Gwen, either nervous herself or sensing Jack's nerves, gave his arm a squeeze as they emerged on the surface. It was a gorgeous Friday evening, dozens of people were walking across the plass. The perfect atmosphere to test the damper. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tosh and Owen were below waiting for the results. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack handed the necklace to Gwen and closed his eyes. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He focused on letting his mental shield down, but it just wasn't coming. No matter how hard he tried, they were staying stubborn and solid, like stone hardened over centuries. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Damnit," he growled. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Jack?" Owen butted in on the comms. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack shook his head, "I'm trying, but dropping mental shields isn't as easy as you'd think."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Gwen squeezed his arm again, giving him a smile. "It's alright, Jack," she soothed, "just think of Ianto, yeah? If this works, he'll be back, so just think of Ianto and relax."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack listened to her and closed his eyes again. He focused on Ianto, deep and safe within the hub just below his feet, depending on Jack in a way he hadn't before. This was Ianto's whole life, depending on Jack relaxing, truly relaxing for just one moment. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He silently began to catalog his favorite things about the Welshman. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>His eyes</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>His laugh</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>His accent</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>The way he loved Jack</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>The way he saw the worst of the world and still enjoyed the little things</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>The...</span>
  </em>
  <b>
    <em> sunset's gorgeous today, should get a picture of that</em>
  </b>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Foreign thoughts slowly crept into Jack's mind until he was having trouble keeping hold of his own thoughts. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He gasped, blindly groping for Gwen, who thankfully understood what he wanted. She quickly dropped the damper into his hand. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Just as slowly as they crept in the thoughts left. Jack could feel the artificial hum of the device working rather than his natural shield. It worked!</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"It worked!" He shouted into the comms. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Even Owen hollered with joy at the pronouncement. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Only once the lift was back down safely in Torchwood did Jack finally hand off the damper to Tosh. His own shields weren't fully back in place and Jack needed some time to himself to close off his mind. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The next morning Jack made the phone call to Glynnis, who sighed with relief. Just after the phone call, Tosh and Gwen left to go get the older woman. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack smiled when he found the pendant and finally understood why Tosh hadn't actually left the hub the night before. She'd spent the whole night encasing the device in silver, a layer strong enough to protect the delicate inner workings but thin enough they wouldn't interfere. She also put a small stamp in the center of it of the Welsh dragon. It was now definitely a better sight then it had been the day before when they'd tested it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They brought Glynnis in through the tourist's office and she greeted Jack with a large hug. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Torchwood," she hummed thoughtfully once they'd let go. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Uh, yeah, that's where we work, kind of a secret thing," Jack confessed, he wasn't worried about having to retcon her. Once you knowingly married an alien, you were kind of allowed in on the secret. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She smiled kindly at Jack. "No, I was just thinking, Edward mentioned a Torchwood once, said it was why he kept coming into Cardiff. My father's shop was just off the plass." </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack and Gwen locked eyes over the women, and Jack shrugged. He didn't remember Edward, but that didn't mean Torchwood hadn't collected him after he fell through the rift. He would have come through in the 40s, and Jack had spent much of that decade running around trying to avoid himself.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Ianto's this way," Gwen told her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ianto was still a startling sight for someone who had last seen him as a perfectly healthy young man. And Glynnis was startled indeed, Jack carefully led her to a chair by Ianto's bedside. She grabbed for Ianto's hand and let out a muffled cry. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"He was meant to come and help me get the garden in order a few weeks ago," Glynnis told Jack as he handed her a handkerchief. "Didn't want me to do any heavy lifting, said that's what I had him for."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I promise, we'll get him back out there soon enough," Jack assured her, squeezing her shoulder. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> "This is Ianto's new necklace," Tosh showed the necklace to Glynnis who gave a watery smile and a nod. Jack had put it on Ianto before they'd arrived, wanting to give his body as much time as possible to adjust to it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"So what we're going to do is I'm going to stop the medicines that are keeping him under," Owen explained in what was the most patient voice Jack had ever heard him use. "And then it'll be a while for it all to run out of his body, but the damper should work fully by the time he wakes up."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Glynnis just nodded again, her hand not leaving Ianto's. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It took almost six hours before Ianto's eyes began rolling under his eyelids. Owen blamed the wait on him having been unconscious for so long. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>During that time, Jack and Glynnis talked about anything and everything. Her favorite topic was Ianto, naturally, and Jack was willing and eager to listen to just about everything she told him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As Ianto began waking, he groaned and whimpered, Jack feared that the damper wasn't working for him. But the seizures never came, and when Glynnis began softly singing, Ianto almost immediately calmed down again. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Jack," wast he first thing Ianto said, voice hoarse and volume barely above a whisper, his eyes weren't even open yet.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Hey there, handsome," Jack returned softly and moved to sit on the bed with him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The next thing said was "Gran?" as he blinked his eyes open, clearly confused to see her sitting with him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Hello, cariad," she cooed to Ianto, rubbing her thumb along the back of the hand she still held. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He fell asleep again shortly after that. Owen declared him perfectly fine, saying that he'd have a few false starts before being fully awake again, but that it was a very good sign.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Glynnis agreed to be driven home somewhere around ten at night, only if they promised she could come back the next day. Jack did. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Around four in the morning, Ianto woke again. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Jack," he repeated. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack nodded and smiled, "hey."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Was my gran here?" Ianto asked, puzzled. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A laugh escaped Jack's mouth, and he nodded. "Yeah, but she's at home asleep right now, she'll be back in the morning."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ianto nodded in acceptance, but he paused. "Why's she here?" His words slurred a little. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack frowned, more to himself than to Ianto. "Something happened, and you got sick. We were all worried for you."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"'m okay?" Ianto asked drowsily. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Yeah, you're okay," Jack said before leaning down and pressing a kiss to Ianto's forehead. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Glynnis returned the next morning with Tosh, and thankfully, Ianto woke properly this time. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack ordered everyone out of the room, including himself, when Glynnis was ready to explain to Ianto what had happened. It was a huge thing, Ianto needed time to understand what she was telling him. So they all went and sat in the hub, not even pretending to work until nearly an hour later when Glynnis reappeared. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"He's sleeping," she told them even though it was evident she'd been crying. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Everything alright?" Jack worried. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Glynnis nodded, "yes, he took it well, but he's very tired right now. And I think I am too, it's been a long two days for me as well."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Owen took this as his cue and slipped back past her to go check on Ianto. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack decided instead of taking Glynnis straight home to stop and get lunch with her. She was quiet for most of the meal but thanked Jack profusely for it when it was over. She was worried for her grandson, and no doubt, worried her secret would change their relationship forever.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter Eight</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Owen had stressed to both of them that just because Ianto was awake, it didn't mean that he was all better. I could take months before he was back up and walking around on his own, months before he could be back at work. Ianto had just nodded in acceptance but had retreated, mentally for the rest of the day. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Glynnis visited every other day and always had an armful of crossword puzzles. At first, she asked Ianto for his help and penciled in everything on her own. By the beginning of the second week, she was making him do the writing, which had proven to be exceptionally frustrating. Many pencils were retrieved from where they'd been thrown against walls. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack continued to sleep on his cot on the floor by the bed. Glynnis had noticed it once and had asked Jack about it. She didn't even seem phased when he confessed that it was his. He already spent a good portion of the day in the room, leaving only when she was there with Ianto though sometimes she invited him to stay. A majority of Jack's paperwork had moved from his formal office into the room as well. It probably wasn't a massive leap for her to accept that he also slept in the room at night. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>What she made of that, she didn't let him know. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ianto went from sleeping most of the time to being awake more and more until one day Jack realized he'd been up for several hours straight.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ianto was stubborn and bull-headed, but everyone already knew that. He didn't take being told he would be bed-bound for a couple weeks well. After proving he could remain conscious for four consecutive hours, he pleaded and threatened Owen until the doctor allowed him to be transferred to a wheelchair during the day some. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Which Ianto immediately hated. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>By the end of week two, he could help with the transfer from his bed to the chair, but he required Jack (and only Jack) to support him throughout the process. Jack could tell how much it grated on the younger man's nerves to still be so dependent on others.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ianto wouldn't talk about what he'd learned about his gran or himself. The two times Jack tried to steer the conversation in that direction, Ianto either ignored him and feigned sleep or just talked straight over Jack. It was frustrating, but there wasn't much anyone could do to make him talk about it. He didn't even think Glynnis had spoken more with Ianto on the subject. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>At the end of week three, Jack had had enough of Ianto's sour moods and his reluctance to talk. Gwen had suggested Jack take some time away, spouting off something about caretakers being more likely to become depressed or something. He wasn't listening anymore, not after she mentioned time away. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Owen was waffling on the idea. Despite how often and loudly he complained about Ianto he was terrified something would happen the second he left the hub. But he couldn't come up with a valid problem Jack couldn't solve in two seconds, so he eventually relented. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Two days later, everything was set, and Jack wheeled a confused Ianto towards the car park. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"What exactly are we doing?" he asked as Jack helped him into the passenger seat. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack smiled and kissed him (relatively) chastely. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was a cottage on the coast, a full hour away from Torchwood. The kind of place Jack dreamed of taking Ianto before, the kind of place that screamed 'romantic weekend away.' The charm of the place, similar to the enchanted and wild gardens that grew around Glynnis' home.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Even though this wasn't the romantic weekend away Jack had had in mind, it was perfect.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was only one floor with minimal rooms, only three truly, making it easier for Ianto to get around without much help. The kitchen and sitting room were one open room with a table for eating tucked in a corner. From any spot in the room, you could see every inch. The washroom was mostly tub, large with jets. No bed baths here. The bedroom itself took up nearly half the cottage with a massive bed in the center, views of the ocean out a picture window at the foot. Both of them could share a bed finally, and Jack couldn't wait to stretch out on the mattress next to Ianto. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"We're here for a week," Jack declared almost giddily after they saw everything it had to offer. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ianto peered up at him skeptically, "why?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack dropped down onto the sofa with a huff. His coat, desperately offseason in the mid-July heat, spread out around him. "Because I think one of us was going to end up committing homicide if we stayed in the hub any long," he confessed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ianto shrugged but nodded in agreement.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Just being this close to the ocean was relaxing for Ianto. Sure Cardiff itself was set on the bay, and he saw it day in and out, but this version of the waters was different somehow- wilder. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ianto napped as Jack put away their things in their temporary homes. When he woke, they made dinner together. The first time he was able to help the preparation of his food in months, he realized. After dinner, Jack helped him into a tub that itself was the size of his kitchen at home. Jack climbed in after, of course, but was unreasonably well behaved during their entire soak. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ianto half wondered if Owen had put some kind of ban on sex. He hadn't actually thought to ask about this. Knowing his current luck, he'd fall asleep halfway through. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He fell asleep on possibly the world's most comfortable mattress. Again he might have been biased given the 1940s army bed he'd been on for almost two months. Having Jack curled up behind him, rather than on an even poorer excuse for a bed on the floor, was heavenly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They didn't speak too much the next morning: </span>
  <em>
    <span>pass the salt</span>
  </em>
  <span>, </span>
  <em>
    <span>lovely morning</span>
  </em>
  <span> and all that. It felt like treading water. It felt like the calm before the storm. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>In Torchwood, Ianto could pretend nothing too out of the ordinary had happened. They were surrounded by aliens day in and day out, what was another story? Never mind it came from his own gran about his own family. Also, in Torchwood Jack was easily distracted or ignored. Even if he wanted to push Ianto into talking, he wouldn't because in minutes, there was always something else that captured his attention. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ianto hadn't even given it too much thought. It was too odd to consider, being not only part alien but having some kind of extraordinary ability to boot. He didn't </span>
  <em>
    <span>want</span>
  </em>
  <span> to think about it, really.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But here, here there was nothing but Ianto and Jack. If he talked to Jack he knew it would come up. On the other hand, if he wasn't talking to Jack then he was forced to think, and it was an idea his brain kept switching to. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They calmly danced around each other until they sat out on the porch after lunch. Ianto waited, watching the waves. Jack seemed to be taking the same route, trying to wait him out. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack was just slightly more impatient, though. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"You need to talk about it," he said, seemingly out of nowhere. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ianto looked at the other man and squinted. "I'm part alien apparently, not much to it," he lied. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack huffed clearly not buying it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ianto shrugged. "I'm part alien and somehow have some kind of empathy thing, but I can't properly use it without my brain melting," he amended. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack accepted that answer a bit better, he turned his gaze away from Ianto. "Humans are only just barely psychic in the 51st century, brought on by decades of cross mingling with the natives. But I have no doubt what I can do, even with all my training, pales to what your mind is trying to do."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was a rare fact Jack was handing out to him, a treat for being a good boy and facing up to his oddity. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"And you're psychic?" Ianto asked. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack nodded. "Like I said, just barely. Being psychic is light-years from empathic, though. Thoughts like words are easy enough to transfer, but they can also be lies. Empathy and emotions are much more raw, much more true. You can lie to yourself, but your emotions will give you away. Because of that, empaths have it harder."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"And that's what my grandad was?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"That's what your grandmother described, yes," Jack confirmed. "Part of a race growing psychic or empathic in part deals with how well a person can train to keep it to themselves. Right now, humans are just shouting their thoughts, their feelings into a void. Even with my limited ability, I have to keep a wall up at all times to avoid being bombarded with everyone's dirty laundry."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"That's why you were so comfortable," Ianto remembered. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack's eyebrows knitted together in confusion. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"The day it happened, my head was trying to leave my skull. But for a moment in the kitchen, when I was leaning on you it didn't hurt. I felt almost normal." Ianto explained. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They sat quietly a little longer, both of them considering the direction to take with their conversation. Neither of them having a clue what would get the other to shut down. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"You mentioned a psychic wall and training, is it something you can train to build?" Ianto asked, hopefully. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Yes, but," Ianto's face fell, and Jack instantly felt guilty, "it's dangerous, especially for you."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ianto snorted and rolled his eyes, looking away more so Jack couldn't see how hurt he was feeling. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"It's dangerous because, like I said, what you can do is so much more powerful than what I can," Jack continued. He reached out his hand for Ianto's, "we can work on a psychic shield, and ideally, one day you might not need your pendant. But realistically, you may always need it, though the training would be helpful, especially if something like this happened again." </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"So, I'll likely always need this?" Ianto reached into his shirt and lifted the silver pendant so he could see it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Out of the corner of his eye he saw Jack rise from his seat. He walked around in front of Ianto and crouched so they were eye to eye. Jack lifted a hand and ran his finger over the front of the pendant. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"You might always need it, yeah," He agreed, "but the point of a shield is to protect you. It doesn't matter if it's natural or artificial to me, as long as it's doing its job." </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack pulled Ianto's hand away, the pendant dropped back down onto his shirt, and he pressed a kiss to the back of Ianto's hand. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I always knew you were special," Jack murmured, lips still against the other man's skin. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ianto scoffed and tried to pull away his hand. "My arse you mean."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack grinned, "all of you."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The hand at the back of Ianto's neck was all the warning he got before Jack's lips crashed against his. This kiss was a far cry from the chaste, nearly loving, kisses he'd been getting for the last few weeks. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When they finally pulled back, even Jack was breathing a little heavier.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Let's go see how much trouble we can get into?" Ianto grinned up towards the older man. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack let out a laugh, "oh yeah," and he leaned down once more for a kiss.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Stalk me:<br/><a href="https://tumbleweed-run.tumblr.com/"> My Tumblr </a><br/></p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>